Welder&#39;s helmet



July 7, 1953 A. MEYER WELDER'S HELMET- Filed Feb. 15, 1952 M I I I I I II I I I I I I n I INVENTOR AESL/E n. Msvse,

Patented July 7, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' WELDERS HELMET Leslie A. Meyer, Mill Creek, Ind.

Application February15, 1952, Serial No. 271,685

V 2 Claims. (01. 2--8) This invention relates to protective hoods orhelmets of the type used by welders.

It is a matter of some inconvenience to the user when a helmet of thetype stated is being worn to adjust the helmet between one position inwhich the conventional dark window provided therein is in the line ofvision, and another position in which the line of vision is not cloudedby said dark window.

Accordingly, the main object of the resent invention is to provide ahelmet of the character described, wherein a dark window is slidablymounted upon the helmet, said dark window being shiftable between oneposition in which it is in registry with a clear window incorporated inthe helmet construction, and another position in which it is out ofregistry with said clear window and permits the user to look directlythrough said clear window without impairment of the visibility of theobject being viewed.

Another important object is to provide a helmetconstruction, as stated,wherein the dark window is normally retained in a position out ofregistry with the clear window, but is readily shiftable to anoperative, registering position through the medium of a linkage which isactuated by closing of the users mouth.

Yet another important object is to provide a helmet, as stated, whereinthe linkage is so designed as to be readily swung out of the users mouthto permit conversation, said linkage being automatically swung back intothe mouth when the user opens his mouth to a predetermined extent.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claimsappended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like referencecharacters designate like parts throughout the several views, andwherein:

Figure 1 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in verticalsection, of a helmetformed in accordance. with the present invention,portions of said helmet being broken away;

Figure 2 is an elevation of the inside of the helmet, said helmet beingillustrated fragmentarily;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2; v V Figure 4is an enlarged detail sectional view taken substantially on line 44 ofFigure 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the invention includes a shieldwhich, so far as its general configuration is concerned, is ofconventional appearance, said shield including side walls In, a frontwall l2, and a top portion l4.

Formed in the front wall [2 is a rectangular aperture l6, adapted toprovide a window opening through which the work may be viewed. Aperipherally flanged, rectangular, outer window frame has been generallydesignated [8 and is fixedly secured to the outer surface of the frontwall l2. The outer window frame I8 extends around the opening 16, andmounted in said outer window frame is a clear transparency 20. Suitablegaskets or equivalent means are employed to fixedly secure thetransparency 20 within the outer window frame, so that said frame andits associated clear transparency are adapted to provide a fixed viewwindow in the front wall l2.

A flat, rectangular main'plate 22 (Figure 2) is fixedly mounted upon theinner surface of the front wall l2, and has its opposite, vertically disposed side edges turned inwardly toward one another to form parallel,vertical guide channels 24.

A dark window is slidably mounted in said guide channels 24 for movementinto and out of registry with the fixed view window. The dark windowincludes'an inner window frame 26 having its respective side edgesextended outwardly (Figure 4) to form guide flanges 28 slidably receivedwithin the respective guide channels.

As may be noted from Figure 4, the inner window frame 26 is recessedinwardly, so as to be provided with a back wall spaced inwardly from themain plate 22. window frame, in this connection, is formed with arectangular opening 30 providing a sight opening for the user.

A dark transparency 32 is mounted within the inner window frame 26, andis provided with a peripheral reinforcement 34 extending fullytherearound.

As best shown in Figures 1 and 4, I provide a pair of bowed springs 36,these being disposed within the inner window frame and being arrangedvertically at opposite sides of the said inner frame. The medialportions of the springs 36 engage the apertured back wall of the innerwindow frame, while the opposite ends of said springs exert pressureagainst the upper and lower edges of the peripherally reinforcedtransparency 32, tending to retain said transparency in engagement withthe main plate 22.

' Integral .or otherwise made rigid with the upper "edge ,of the innerwindow frame at opposite ends of said upper edge are coaxial,horizontally disposed sleeves 38 (Figure 2) receiving outwardlydirected, lateral extensions 40 formed upon the lower'ends of the legs42 of a hanger generally designated 44. The hanger 44 is of The backwall of the inner inverted U shape and has its bight portion 46horizontally disposed and arranged transversely of the front wall I2 ofthe shield.

By reason of the construction so far described, it will be apparent thatthe hanger 44 is pivotally connected at its lower end to the darkwindow, so that upward movement of the bight 46 of the hanger through anarcuate path will be effective to shift the dark window upwardly withinits associated guide channels 24. i

Embracing the bight 46'of the hanger medially between opposite ends ofsaid bight is a. collar 48 Y which is rotatable relative to the bight,said collar being integral with the outer end of an arm 50 (Figures 1and 3). The arm 50, at its inner end, is brazed, or otherwise rigidlyseeurd, to"

the medial portion of a crank52disposed medially between the oppositeends of a crankshaft 54.

In carrying out the invention, I dispose the crankshaft 54 horizontally,and journal it at opposite ends in aligned bearing openings formed theouter ends of the support brackets 56. The. support brackets 55 areintegral or otherwisemade rigid with the upper end of the main plate 22at the corners of said main plate, and extend horizontally andrearwardly therefrom.

:Rigidly secured to the opposite end portions of the crankshaft 54 arecrank arms 58 which, when swung upwardly or downwardly, wil be operativeto rotate the crankshaft. As a. result, the crank 52 will be swungupwardly or downwardly as the case may be, thus to shift the hanger 44and move the dark window into and outIof registry with the fixed viewwindow.

As will be noted from Figure 1, the respective crank arms 56 areprovided with longitudinal series of openings 60, any of which canreceive the outwardly extended upper ends 62 of a pair of upstandingpush rods 54. At their lower ends the push rods 64 are connected "to theopposite ends of a horizontally disposed'crossbar 66 extendingtransversely between the 'push rods, and mounted upon the crossbar is acorrugated mouthpiece B8 of elongated, cylindrical formation. i

will be readily noted, the mouthpiece 6B is adapted to be receivedwithin the mouth of a user shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, and whendisposed within the mouth, seats against the lower jaw. As a result,closing of the users mouth is effective to shift the push rods upwardly,said upward movement of the push rods being translated into upwardswinging movement of'the crank arms 58. The end result is thus obtainedof shifting the dark window into registry with the clear view window,thus to posi= tion the dark window for welding operations.

Intermediate the oposit e ends of one of the push rods I fixedly secureto said push rod a laterally extended car 10, to which is connected theupper end of an expansion spring 12, the lower end of which is hooked ina lug 14 rigidly secured tothe main plate 2 2. The spring 12 normallyurges thepush rods downwardly, and as a result will tend to. retain thedark window in a normal, inoperative position illustrated in Figure 1. I

As will be noted from Figur 1, the spring 1'2 is arranged longitudinallyof th'e push rods; but is spaced away therefrom, and this arrangementhas the result of swinging the push rods to the left-in Figure that is,away fromthe front wall l2, when the spring is snowe to-"contract. Ac

cordingly, I provide a stop l5'rigidly' secured to I V I i 7 '75 themain plate 22', saidsto'p beingadapted to d. limit swinging movement ofits associated push rod to the left in Figure 1, that is, into the usersmouth.

Fixedly mounted upon the main plate 22 at the lower end of said mainplate is a vertically disposed support 16, said support being disposedmedially between the guide channels 24. A horizontally arranged bit 18is fixedly attached at one end by a screw 80, or its equivalent, to theupper end of the support 16. The other end of the bit 18 is extendedupwardly, so as to hook Within the upper jaw of the user, thus tostabilize the entire helmet while said helmet is being worn.

I ,The mouthpiece 68, push rods 64, crank arms end of which is connectedto the dark window,

'and the other end of which is proportioned to be received in the mouthof a user, said linkage being'mounted for up-an'd-down movement to shiftthe dark window into and out of registry with the clear, fixed viewwindow. In a manner which has heretofore been made apparent, saidlinkage, when the users mouth is closed, will be given its upwardmovement to shift the dark window to an operative, registering position.On opening of the mouth, the spring 12 is permitted to exert itscontracting action, and will return the linkage and dark window to thelower position thereof while holding the mouthpiece 68 in firmly seatedposition upon the lower jaw of the user.

Should the user desire to remove the mouthpiece from the position, inwhich it is illustrated in the drawing so as to permit a conversation tobe held, he can readily eject the mouthpiece from his mouth, allowing itto seat upon his chin. Subsequently, when it is again desired to takethe mouthpiece into the mouth, the user need only open his mouth wide,as a result of which the spring 12 tending to contract further, willpull downwardly upon the arm 10 and will bias the associated push rod 64to the left in Figure 1, thus to automatically reinsert the mouthpiece.

It is considered to be an important characteristic of the invention thatit provides a mouthcontrolled welde'rs helmet, wherein closing of the mo'utli'will instantaneously shift the dark window to anoperativeposition for the performance of welding operations with openingof the mouth being similarly effective in causing instantaneous movementof the dark window to the inoperative position illustrated in Figure 1.This permits the operation to be performed at greater speed, the handsof the worker being left free and the inconvenience normally sufferedthrough the necessity of badly moving the helmet and its conventionalharness being completely absent- It is believed apparent that theinventionis not necessarily confined to the specific use vor usesthereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose towhich it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limitedto the specific construction illustrated and described, since suchconstruction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles ofoperation and the means presently devised to carr out said principles,it being considered that the invention 'comprehends any minor changes inconstruction parallel, vertical guide channels mounted on the innersurface of said front wall at opposite sides of the view window; a darkwindow having its opposite side edges slidable in said guide channelsfor up-and-down sliding movement of the dark window into and out ofregistry with the View window; a vertically shiftable linkage connectedat one end to said dark window and having its other end proportioned tobe received. in the mouth of a user, said linkage being arranged forvertical movement, responsive to a closing of the mouth, to apositioneffective to shift said dark window into registry with the view window,said linkage including a hanger connected to the dark window, acrankshaft rotatably mounted on the shield. a crank on said shaftoperatively connected to the hanger for shifting of the hangerresponsive to rotation of the shaft, a crank arm on the shaft, anupstanding push rod connected at its upper end to the crank arm fortranslating up-and-down movement of the push rod into rotatable movementof the shaft, and a mouthpiece on the lower end of the rod adapted toextend into the users mouth to seat against the lower jaw thereof; and aspring anchored at one end to the shield and having its other endconnected to said linkage, said spring being arranged to normally urgethe dark window to a position out of registry with the view window.

2. A welders helmet comprising: a shield including a front wall adaptedto protect the face of a user and formed with a fixed view window;parallel, vertical guide channels mounted on the inner surface of saidfront wall at opposite sides of the view window; a dark window havingits opposite side edges sidable in said guide channels for up-and-downsliding movement of the dark 6 window into and out of registry with theView window; a vertically shiftable linkage connected at one end tosaiddark window and having its other end proportioned to be receivedin themouth of a user, said linkage being arranged for vertical movement,responsive to a closing of the mouth, to a position effective to shiftsaid dark window into registry with the view window, the linkageincluding a generally vertical hanger connected at its lower end to thedark window, a crankshaft rotatably and horizontally mounted on theshield, a crank on said shaft operatively connected to the upper end ofthe hanger for shifting of the hanger responsive to rotation of theshaft, a crank arm rigid with the shaft, an upstanding push rodpivotally connected at its upper end to the crank arm for translatingupand-down movement of the push rod into rotatable movement of theshaft, and a mouthpiece on the lower end of the rod adapted to extendinto the users mouth to seat against the lower jaw thereof; and a springanchored at one end to the shield and having its other end connected tosaid linkage, said spring being arranged to normally urge the darkwindow to a position out of registry with the view window.

LESLIE A. MEYER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSGermany Feb. 7, 1928

